No, I’m not an extremist. I’m a normal person. I wasn’t born eating plant-based food. I learned the truth behind animal agriculture and made the transition out of compassion, rational thinking, and a desire to promote health and reduce my carbon footprint.

No, I don’t miss anything.

No, there is no such thing as humane slaughter unless an animal is irreparably suffering and it’s done out of mercy. Otherwise, ending any animal’s life prematurely is inhumane regardless of how or when it’s done.

No, I don’t eat fish.

No, I don’t rely on religion or the mainstream culture to guide my food choices. I use common sense, science, and human decency instead.

No, you don’t need to become a vegan overnight. You can ease into it gradually.

No, you will not believe that you once ate animals or ever figure out what you were thinking once you become a vegan.

No, I’m not going to stop speaking for animals until I die and if there’s a way for me to speak for them after I die, I’ll do it then too.

No, I’m not perfect. Animals such as rodents and insects die in the production of vegetables, marine life is killed in the production of the gasoline for my car, and forests were cleared to make my wood furniture that disturbed natural habitats. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about doing as much as you can to reduce your negative impact on animals and the environment while improving your health.

Andrew Kirschner, Ed.D., is a grassroots vegan animal rights activist. He writes a zero-profit blog, Kirschner’s Korner, to help raise awareness about issues affecting the global community to make the world a more humane place. To receive new articles via email, enter your email in the “Follow Blog Via Email” link at the top right of the blog.

No, i wouldn’t eat a bit of ham for £1000… No, i wouldn’t even just quickly balance it on my tongue for £1000… No it’s not ridiculous at all, it’s sticking to my far more important than money belief system and ethos!!!

The difficult one for me is “No you can’t say you love animals if you eat them”. I know this is true but I also have a sister-in-law who has devoted a huge part of her life to saving dogs and cats in shelters. We have talked about this and I have sent her a couple of books but she said she just can’t go vegan because of my brother and her mother who eat animals. I know, I know, that is not a real reason. But I do believe that she loves those cats and dogs.

Thank you for your comments. I’ve made that point in other articles, namely, if you eat animals, you don’t love animals, you love to eat animals. You may love dogs or cats but you don’t love cows, pigs, and chickens if you eat them.